Disclaimer: As a blogger who reviews books, I was sent this free copy from the author, along with some book-related swag. My review is going to be detailed, but honest. However, I do think the author, Jackie Kessler, is pretty awesome for promoting her book like that.

Daunan the incubus is up for a big promotion to be Prince of Lust. All he has to do is seduce and damn a woman who is otherwise slated for heaven. Oh, and some other demons, for some reason, keep trying to kill him. And if he doesn't condemn Virginia Reed to Hell, he'll be killed by his boss, Pan. Pressure, pressure.

I have to say that the first 1/3 of the book was a struggle for me. I'm pretty much a goody two-shoes, and the beginning of the book quickly establishes that Daunan is indeed a demon and not a nice guy - and the story is from his first-person viewpoint. At least he's not an angel-raper like Pan, but he's still an arrogant jerk with a near-constant erection. However, once the book introduces his target, Virginia, it became something very deep and profound. Virginia is a woman who is a mere shell of her past self after a profound loss, going through the motions of her day-to-day life. Since Daunan's magic is ineffective on someone inherently good, he has to seduce her like a normal man, and this enlightens him about the nature of humans.

I was very curious as to how the book would end. Obviously, he has to bed the girl, but you don't want the good girl condemned to Hell for her actions. The ending is very well-done and tight, and again I'd use the word profound. Everyone stays in character, but their growth is very believable and satisfying. The sex scenes aren't bad, either.

Also, there is a scene where Daunan briefly possesses a worker at the DMV that has to be one of the funniest things I've read lately. The poor DMV lady is so consumed with despair and loathing for her job that the demon has trouble getting control of her. It's fantastic and dead-on.

The first part of the book is necessary for establishing the badness of Daunan and the rules of his kind; still, if I picked this up in a bookstore, I probably would not have been able to get past that initial evilness. But once that first third is done, the book is extraordinary and much deeper than I anticipated. I had trouble putting it down. Overall, a very enjoyable read. ( )

Wikipedia in English

So whose soul do you have to damn to get a promotion around here? Daunuan was never the ambitious type. There's so much to love about his job just the way it is-mind-blowing sexual prowess, the power to seduce any human, excellent dental plan. But now Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for heaven into a damnable act of lust. Should take, oh, seven minutes, tops. Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She's cute. Funny. Smart. And unfathomably resistant to his charms. But Daun has centuries of seduction to his credit. Sooner or later he'll transform this polar icecap of a female into a pool of molten desire. Meanwhile, he has to deal with a plague of rogue demons Hell-bent on taking him down. And one other problem: he's falling in love-that unholiest of four-letter words-with the woman he's about to doom for all eternity . . . Praise for Jackie Kessler "Funny, sexy, and utterly original! Kessler will seduce you". -Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author"A demonic thrill ride with heart and soul. Kessler is one of a kind" -Jaci Burton, author of Hunting the Demon

Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for Heaven into a damnable act of lust. Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She's cute, funny, smart, and unfathomable resistant to his charms.… (more)